Your Health: Jan. 8, 2001

ROTO-ROOTER It took a study of 62,000 patients to confirm what many cardiologists already suspected: when it comes to heart attacks, angioplasties save more lives than clot-busting drugs. Both treatments aim to clear arterial blockages that deprive the heart of oxygen. But the odds of dying in a hospital after an emergency angioplasty--a balloon-tipped catheter is threaded through the vessel--are 40% lower than after a round of clot busters. Caveat: the finding applies only to centers that perform angioplasties frequently--at least 50 times a year.

GOLDEN OLDIES You might not expect to see an 85-year-old at an 'N Sync...